AN UNMANNED VEHICLE ADAPTED TO BE USED IN A STABLE, SUCH AS A COWSHED

VEHICULE TELEGUIDE CONCU POUR ETRE UTILISE DANS UNE ETABLE

English Abstract

The invention relates to an unmanned vehicle (1) which is adapted to be used
in a stable, such as a cowshed. The unmanned vehicle (1) is provided with a
manure displacing device (2) which is capable of being moved to a place at a
distance from the vehicle. The manure displacing device (2) comprises a manure
slide (12). The manure displacing device (2) is further provided with pressure
setting means (9) for determining the force with which the manure displacing
device (2) is active on a stable floor.

French Abstract

L'invention concerne un véhicule téléguidé (1) conçu pour être utilisé dans une étable est pourvu d'un dispositif de déplacement (2) du fumier éloignée à une certaine distance du véhicule. Ce dispositif de déplacement (2) du fumier comprend un élément permettant de balayer (12) le fumier et des moyens de réglage (9) de la pression permettant de déterminer la force avec laquelle le dispositif (2) fonctionne sur le plancher d'une étable.

Claims

6
CLAIMS
1. An unmanned vehicle (1) which is adapted to be used
in a stable, such as a cowshed, characterized in that the
unmanned vehicle (1) is provided with a manure displacing
device (2) which is capable of being moved to a place at a
distance from the vehicle.
2. An unmanned vehicle as claimed in claim 1,
characterized in that the manure displacing device (2)
comprises a windable carrier (7), one end of which is
connected to a manure displacing member (2) and whose other
end is connected to the unmanned vehicle (1).
3, An unmanned vehicle as claimed in claim 2,
characterized in that the windable carrier (7) comprises at
least one cable caterpillar.
4. An unmanned vehicle as claimed in claim 3,
characterized in that the windable carrier (7) comprises two
cable caterpillars which are disposed one on top of the other.
5, An unmanned vehicle as claimed in claim 2,
characterized in that the windable carrier (7) is constituted
by a resilient strip material.
6, An unmanned vehicle as claimed in claim 5,
characterized in that the material is constituted by spring
steel.
7. An unmanned vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 2
to 6, characterized in that the windable carrier (7) is
disposed on a reel (6).
8. An unmanned vehicle as claimed in claim 7,
characterized in that the reel (6) is motor-drivable for
winding and unwinding the carrier.
9, An unmanned vehicle as claimed in any one of the
preceding claims, characterized in that the manure displacing
device (2) comprises a manure slide (12) which is preferably
made of rubber or synthetic material.
10. An unmanned vehicle as claimed in any one of the
preceding claims, characterized in that the manure displacing
device (2) comprises motor-drivable manure displacing members
and/or a spraying unit and/or a compressed air unit.

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11. An unmanned vehicle as claimed in claim 10,
characterized in that the manure displacing members are
constituted by brushes.
12. An unmanned vehicle as claimed in any one of the
preceding claims, characterized in that the manure displacing
device (2) comprises pressure setting means (9) for setting
the force with which the manure displacing device (2) is
active on a floor.
13. An unmanned vehicle as claimed in claim 12,
characterized in that the pressure setting means (9) comprise
a control cylinder (10).
14. An unmanned vehicle as claimed in any one of the
preceding claims, characterized in that the manure displacing
device (2) forms part of a wall of the unmanned vehicle (1).
15. An unmanned vehicle as claimed in any one of the
preceding claims, characterized in that the unmanned vehicle
(1) comprises detection means (13) for determining whether
and/or where manure and/or any other dirt are/is present on
the stable floor.
16. An unmanned vehicle as claimed in claim 15,
characterized in that the detection means (13) comprise a
camera, such as e.g. an infrared camera.
17. An unmanned vehicle as claimed in claim 15 or 16,
characterized in that the detection means comprise a humidity
meter for determining the electric conductivity on a floor
part in the stable.
18. An unmanned vehicle as claimed in any one of the
preceding claims, characterized in that the unmanned vehicle
(1) comprises a second manure displacing device which is
disposed under the vehicle.
19. An unmanned vehicle as claimed in any one of the
preceding claims, characterized in that the second manure
displacing device constitutes a support for the vehicle.
20. An unmanned vehicle as claimed in any one of the
preceding claims, characterized in that the unmanned vehicle
(1) comprises cleaning and/or disinfecting means.

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21. An unmanned vehicle as claimed in claim 20,
characterized in that the cleaning and/or disinfecting means
comprise a spraying unit.
22. An unmanned vehicle as claimed in claim 20 or 21,
characterized in that the cleaning and/or disinfecting mean
are disposed on the manure displacing device (2).
23. An unmanned vehicle as claimed in any one of the
preceding claims, characterized in that the unmanned vehicle
(1) comprises signalling means which are adapted to keep the
animals at a distance from the unmanned vehicle.
24. An unmanned vehicle as claimed in claim 23,
characterized in that the signalling means emit optical and/or
acoustic signals.
25. An unmanned vehicle as claimed in claim 23 or 24,
characterized in that the signalling means comprise an
electric shock device.
26. A method of displacing manure over a stable floor by
means of an unmanned vehicle provided with a manure displacing
device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 25, in which
method the unmanned vehicle and/or the stable are/is provided
with detection means for determining whether an animal has
visited a cubicle after the relevant cubicle has been cleaned
by means of the manure displacing device, and the detection
means emit a control signal to the unmanned vehicle when the
relevant animal has left the cubicle, on the basis of which
control signal the unmanned vehicle cleans the relevant
cubicle with the aid of the manure displacing means.

Description

CA 02337252 2001-O1-12
WO 00/70936 PCT/NL00~00312
AN UNMANNED VEHICLE ADAPTED TO BE USED IN A STABLE, SUCH AS A
COWSHED
The invention relates to an unmanned vehicle which is
adapted to be used in a stable, such as a cowshed. -
Such a vehicle is known.
The known vehicle is provided at its front side with
a manure slide by means of which the grid floor of a stable is
cleaned.
The known vehicle has the disadvantage that parts of
the stable which are difficult to reach, such as e.g.
cubicles, cannot be cleaned by the vehicle.
It is an objective of the intention to make the
unmanned vehicle suitable for cleaning also places in the
stable which are difficult to reach.
In accordance with the invention, this is achieved in
that the vehicle is provided with a manure displacing device
which is capable of being moved to a place at a distance from
the vehicle. Because of the fact that the manure displacing
device is disposed at a distance from the unmanned vehicle
and/or is capable of being moved to a place at a distance from
said vehicle, it is possible to clean places in the stable
which are difficult to reach, such as e.g. cubicles, without
the vehicle needing to move to these places. According to a
further inventive feature, the manure displacing device
comprises a windable carrier, one end of which is connected to
a manure displacing member and whose other end is connected to
the unmanned vehicle. The windable carrier has the advantage
of occupying relatively little space, thus making it possible
3o for the unmanned vehicle to be equipped with some more
apparatuses.
According to a first embodiment of the invention, the
windable carrier comprises at least one cable caterpillar.
Such a cable caterpillar is used for storing cables and is
employed e.g. in an industrial robot arm construction, such as
a welding robot. One of the properties of such a cable
caterpillar is that during movement of the robot arm

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2
construction the cables do not kink, but make a smooth curve.
Another property of such a cable caterpillar is that it can
only be wound in one direction, because the links of the cable
caterpillar are blocked in the other direction. The latter
property makes it possible to use the cable caterpillar as a
rigid carrier for the manure displacing device. According to a
second embodiment of the invention, the windable carrier
comprises two cable caterpillars which are disposed one on top
of the other. By placing two cable caterpillars on top of each
other the entire carrier becomes rigid in all directions,
while it still remains possibly to wind or unwind the two
caterpillars.
In accordance with a third embodiment of the
invention, the windable carrier is constituted by a resilient
strip material. In a preferred embodiment of the invention,
the material is constituted by spring steel. For the purpose
of making it possible for the windable carrier/carriers to be
wound or unwound, they are disposed on a reel. Said reel is
motor-driven for winding and unwinding the windable carrier.
According to a further inventive feature, the manure
displacing device comprises a telescopic carrier and/or a
hingeable arm construction. In accordance with an inventive
feature, the manure displacing device comprises a manure slide
which is preferably made of rubber or synthetic material.
According to again another inventive feature, it is also
possible to provide the manure displacing device with motor-
drivable manure displacing members. The motor-drivable manure
displacing members have the advantage that, during cleaning,
they do not need to be pressed on the stable floor with
considerable force, like a manure slide. According to a
further inventive feature, the manure displacing members are
constituted by brushes. It is also possible for the manure
displacing device to comprise a compressed air unit and/or a
spraying unit by means of which the floor is cleaned with
compressed air and/or liquid.
For the purpose of realizing a still better cleaning
of the stable floor, according to an inventive feature, the
manure displacing device comprises pressure setting means with

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3
the aid of which the force is set with which the manure
displacing device is active on the stable floor. In accordance
with a further inventive feature, the pressure setting means
comprise a control cylinder. The pressure setting means are
also used for positioning the manure displacing device.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention,
the manure displacing device forms part of a wall of the
unmanned vehicle. For the purpose of determining where in the
stable there has to be cleaned, according to an inventive
l0 feature, the unmanned vehicle comprises detection means which
are capable of observing the dirt present on the stable floor.
According to a further inventive feature, the detection means
comprise a camera, such as e.g. an infrared camera. It is
further possible for the detection means to comprise a
humidity meter with the aid of which the electric conductivity
on a floor part in the stable is determined. By means of a
dielectric measurement it is possible to determine whether the
stable floor is contaminated with manure.
According to again another inventive feature, the
2o unmanned vehicle comprises a second manure displacing device
which is disposed under the vehicle. According to the
invention, the second manure displacing device constitutes a
support for the vehicle.
For the purpose of operating in a still more hygienic
manner, the unmanned vehicle. comprises cleaning and/or
disinfecting means. According to a further inventive feature,
the cleaning and/or disinfecting means comprise a spraying
unit. With the aid of the spraying unit it is possible to
spray a cleaning and/or a disinfecting liquid over the already
3o cleaned stable floor. According to the invention, a favourable
location for the cleaning and/or disinfecting means is on or
near the manure displacing device. For the purpose of
preventing the animals from damaging the unmanned vehicle,
according to an inventive feature, the unmanned vehicle
comprises signalling means which are adapted to keep animals
at a distance from the unmanned vehicle. According to a
further inventive feature, the signalling means are capable of
emitting optical and/or acoustic signals. According to again

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4
another inventive feature, the signalling means comprise an
electric shock device.
The invention will now be explained in further detail
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a side view of the unmanned vehicle
according to the invention, which vehicle is provided with a
manure displacing device, and
to Figure 2 is a plan view of the manure displacing
device shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 is a side view of a first unmanned vehicle 1
which is provided with a manure displacing device 2. The
15 unmanned vehicle 1 comprises a housing 3 with a chassis 4
which is provided with wheels 5. The wheels 5 can separately
be driven by non-shown motors.
In the housing 3 there is further arranged a reel 6
on which a windable carrier 7 is wound. In the present
2o embodiment the windable carrier 7 is constituted by a cable
caterpillar. One end of the cable caterpillar 7 is connected
to the reel 6 and and its other end is connected to the manure
displacing device 2. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cable
caterpillar 7 comprises links 8 which are capable of hinging
25 in one direction relative to each other.
The manure displacing device 2 is further provided
with pressure setting means 9 with the aid of which the cable
caterpillar can be lifted. In the present embodiment the
pressure setting means 9 are constituted by a control cylinder
30 10. The pressure setting means 9 are also used for positioning
the manure displacing device 2. Positioning of the manure
displacing device 2 is effected by lifting the cable
caterpillar 7 by means of the control cylinder 10 and by
unwinding the cable caterpillar 7 by means of the reel 6 until
35 it has reached the intended destination, whereupon the cable
caterpillar 7 is moved to the stable floor by means of the
control cylinder 10.

CA 02337252 2001-O1-12
WO 00/70936 PCT/NL00/0031?
Because of the fact that a weight 11 is disposed on
the manure displacing device 2 there is obtained sufficient
pressure on the manure slide 12 belonging to the manure
displacing device 2 to displace the manure over the floor.
5 Displacing the manure over the floor takes place by winding up
the cable caterpillar 7 by means of the reel 6.
On the housing 3 of the unmanned vehicle 1 there are
further disposed detection means 13 with the aid of which
dirt, such as manure, on the stable floor can be traced. In
l0 the present embodiment the detection means 13 comprise a
camera. It is also possible to guide the unmanned vehicle 1
through the stable with the aid of the detection means 13.

Representative Drawing